Bibbs gives Colorado State big boost in Border War

Oct. 19, 2013

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CSU running back Kapri Bibbs runs through the Wyoming defense for one of his three touchdowns Saturday in the Rams' 52-22 win over the Cowboys. Bibbs finished with 201 yards on 29 carries. / Troy Babbitt/USA Today

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LARAMIE, WYO. — Kapri Bibbs didn’t start for the CSU football team Saturday.

But he certainly finished.

The sophomore running back from Plainfield, Ill., ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries for the Rams in a 52-22 win at Wyoming. It was the first 200-yard rushing day by a CSU running back since Chris Nwoke ran for 269 yards in a 2011 loss to Air Force.

Bibbs ran for touchdowns of 7, 59 and 9 yards, the last two driving a stake through the hearts of the Cowboys by stretching what had been a 38-15 lead to 52-15.

“He’s a player, he’s a playmaker,” center Weston Richburg said. “And as long as we’re going to open up holes for him, he’s going to find them and be able to get out and make big runs for us. It was really awesome to see him do that.”

CSU’s game plan against Wyoming’s defense, coach Jim McElwain said, was to create creases up front, then let the running backs slip through them.

It was a perfect fit for Bibbs.

“That’s what kind of runner Kapri is,” McElwain said. “He’s a true zone runner, and that’s where I think he probably made most of his hay.”

As a first-year player in the program, Bibbs wasn’t made available for interviews afterward, keeping with McElwain’s media policies.

But his play during the game spoke plenty.

He not only had five runs of 10 yards or more, but also he lowered his shoulders, kept his feet churning and moved the pile forward, even when there wasn’t a seam to run through. On one of those plays, in particular, Bibbs was hit in the backfield for what should have been a 1-yard loss on a third-and-3 play, only to wind up with a 3-yard gain and critical first down at the Wyoming 19-yard line.

He ran for 12 yards on the next play and for the final 7 yards into the end zone on the next one to give the Rams a 21-0 lead with 3:52 remaining in the first half.

“That was kind of a defining moment,” McElwain said.

Bibbs also had a 3-yard gain on a fourth-and-1 play midway through the third quarter, setting up a 34-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Grayson to Donnell Alexander — who got the start at running back in front of Bibbs.

This was the second time in three games that Bibbs has topped the 100-yard mark. He ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns in the Rams’ 59-42 win Sept. 28 over UTEP and leads the team in rushing with 630 yards on 94 carries. His nine touchdowns are three more than any other player on the team.

“He can run behind his pads, and that’s very important as a runner is learning how to run behind your pads,” McElwain said. “And then picking up your feet through traffic, and he got better at that today.”